Control
by Chaton15
Summary: After trouble with his father and the realization of too many things, Adrien is akumatized, and Marinette is alone in fighting him. But there is a teensy weeny problem: the akumatized object is his miraculous. Chapters 1 and 2 are not my ideas! Chapter 1 was a video by a YouTuber named Lady Rouge 077. I just put it into words and added most of the speaking roles. Part 2 was a comic
1. Control

**ADRIEN'S POV**

 _Tick. Tick. Tick._

Adrien was slumped at his desk, staring miserably at his computer. His mother's past-time smiling face gazed back at him, but he couldn't smile back. All he could do was listen to the clock tick and wish she were still there with him.

Plagg was on the couch a little behind him, noisily devouring his camenbert. Per usual, he was no help at all.

Thoughts of all the negatives in his life whirled through his head. His poor relationship with his father. His constant longing to have his mother back. Normally he could put these thoughts aside and focus on all the positives, like hanging with Nino, being with Ladybug, and helping her destroy evil. But here, now, all he could think of was sadness.

He finally stood up, walked out his door, and slowly descended the stairs to the main room. Stangely, Nathalie was nowhere in sight. The Gorilla was standing by the base of the stairs, unacknowledging of Adrien's appearance, like the normal. Sighing, he continued towards the doors, but halted as he heard voices coming from his father's room.

Curious, he moved closer to the occupied room's door and leaned closer, trying to make out what his father and assistant were discussing. He managed to make out Nathalie's voice saying, "So then, if you already had a copy of the book, why'd you go through all that trouble?"

 _Book._ The strange book about miraculouses that he'd lost just the day before, until his father had somehow recovered it. That had to be what she was talking about.

But . . . his father had another copy? He'd told Adrien that the book was one of a kind. But it was his father's reply to Nathalie's question that startled him more.

"I did what I had to do to keep my secret."

Unable to help himself, Adrien pushed the door open ever so slightly, just to get a glimpse of what was going on inside. To his shock, his father was standing in front of the portrait of Mrs. Agreste, running his two hands along the surface. Upon reaching a specific position, he pressed harder with his fingers, revealing special indents where he'd pressed. He then stepped back and descended through a small tunnel into the floor. As soon as he was down far enough, a panel closed up again where he'd vanished so it looked as if there was nothing but floor.

Where had he gone?

But it was Nathalie's next words that struck him the hardest.

She turned around and walked back to Gabriel's desk, then glanced back at the painting and said softly, _"Bon chance,_ Hawk Moth."

Ladybug had been right after all.

A small part of him was wondering how he'd akumatized himself, but the rest was swallowed up in shock and grief.

His _father_ was the supervillain of Paris. Hawk Moth. _Hawk Moth._ For real. This wasn't some huge nightmare.

What would he say if he knew his son was Cat Noir?

Things were never the same from then on. He couldn't look his father in the eyes or speak to him anymore. He wasn't cheered up at the sight of Nino anymore. He couldn't look at an akumatized victim without knowing that his father was responsible. The smallest bit of comfort he got was being with Ladybug. Seeing her smile, and hearing her voice. But also knowing she'd been right and being unable to tell her.

But another shock was yet to come.

Just a couple days later, after a vicious fight with a supervillain, he'd detransformed and was walking through the upstairs hallway on his way to the library. Trying to focus on the book he was planning on getting and not his father's terrible secret, he wasn't expecting anything strange, but the first person he spotted inside was . . . Ladybug.

What was she doing here?

But that thought only lasted a heartbeat. She'd been the first person he saw, but the first sound he heard was the familiar beep of her power-declining earrings. She'd used Lucky Charm after he'd used Cataclysm, he remembered. He forgot to look away, he was so startled, and in just a few seconds saw her suit and mask vanish in a blinding flash. And beneath the strong disguise, wearing the familiar pink capris, white T-shirt, and dark overcoat . . . was the girl he'd labeled as just a friend countless times.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

His eyes widened, and he just managed to hoarsely whisper, "Ladybug?" unaudible to her, before backing away and racing back down the hall. She hadn't seen him.

Marinette . . . all this time . . . the clumsy baker girl . . . was somehow the same person as the confident, strong-willed Ladybug he'd fought alongside and fallen for.

It, and finding out about his father, was all too much to take in. School being basically ended, he forgot all about the Gorilla picking him up and ran all the way back to his mansion. As soon as he arrived, he went straight to his room, slowed down, and stopped by his window, panting, too shocked to speak or do anything else.

Plagg emerged from his jacket and zoomed up beside him. He stared at Adrien curiously for a few moments, but, unlike the usual, he remained silent.

Stunned, he eventually slid down against the window, almost shaking. Time passed, and he gradually began to calm down enough to think clearly again. But maybe that wasn't a good thing. Now, all he could feel was more sadness. A very small part of him was relieved to finally know his Lady's identity, but he knew she'd wanted to keep it secret. He already wasn't planning on telling anyone, as she'd always wished, but he knew nonetheless. Of course, he didn't have to tell her . . .

 _Yes, I do,_ he thought, near-reluctantly. _I would never lie to her._ _But I'll assure her that I won't tell anyone. Maybe that will make things better._

But his thoughts quickly drifted away from reasurance as he heard his father shouting at someone on the phone somewhere outside his room. It only deepened his sorrow and he once again tried to take in the fact that his father was his worst enemy.

He very slowly picked up his right hand and cupped it in his left palm, staring down at the blank, silver face in misery. He was a superhero. He could change a lot of things. But this was one he couldn't.

Just a minute later, Plagg suddenly cried out in fear, startling his owner half-out of his daze. He looked up in what seemed to be slow motion and spotted a dark purple butterfly flapping towards him.

 _An akuma,_ he vaguely thought, but didn't register what his mind had just said. And before he ever got the chance to, he dropped his head again, and the akuma absorbed itself into his miraculous.

"I am Hawk Moth," a deep, all-too-familiar voice announced silkily. Adrien gazed sadly back at the two blue eyes watching him through the glowing Moth symbol, and replied quietly, "I know."

The blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but, otherwise unfazed, Hawk Moth continued, "So many secrets have they kept from you. From now on, you have the freedom to discover them all. Only one will try to stop you, but I can assure you she will fail. I will give you all you've ever wanted. All I ask is a small favor in the end."

"I know," he repeated softly. "To bring you my ring and the Ladybug miraculous."

There was a long hesitation, and the supervillain finally answered, "Yes. That's all. What has Ladybug done for you? She's rejected your love, taken advantage of you, and kept secrets from you as well. The task will be simple. So do we have an agreement?"

Deep down, Adrien knew he should refuse. Hawk Moth was purely evil. But he ended up responding, "Yes, father," and didn't wait to see the villain's reaction. He barely heard Plagg cry, "Adrien, no!" as he added, "Claws Out," and the black cat kwami was sucked into the miraculous along with the akuma. A moment later he was tranformed into Cat Noir, but he felt different. Stronger, tingling with energy, but also wrong. He turned towards the window, still with free will, and with a small smile lunged through the open space to the outside world, the new but still wrong motivations spinning through his head.

 **MARINETTE'S POV**

"Well, that was a wild day," Marinette told Tikki as she walked through the streets, which were mostly empty. "Imagine: two supervillains in one day! And Adrien is back in school, thank goodness. I wouldn't have been able to stand it if he didn't come anymore."

"I know," her kwami laughed in response. "You don't have to tell me. The day's almost over, too! Something tells me you're going to be oversleeping tomorrow morning."

"Tell me something I don't know," Marinette sighed, then smiled away her negativity and began walking a little faster.

Suddenly, a burst of shrieks erupted from up ahead. She jumped, then whispered in horror, _"Another_ one?!" and started running forward. The first person she saw was her BFF Alya, her phone raised as she filmed the apparent supervillain. Her facial expression was something like awe and terror at the same time, and her hands were shaking. Confused by Alya's strange emotion, Marinette picked up her pace and whipped around the corner, but the sight she was forced to take in made her heart drop to her feet.

Because the person standing there, black suit reflecting the sunlight, staff barely touching the ground, was none other than her partner, Cat Noir. But that wasn't what had startled her so much; there was a glowing, purplish Butterfly symbol in front of his eyes, and a faint voice was talking to him.

Hawk Moth. That voice was Hawk Moth.

Which meant the cat standing just a few feet in front of her was no superhero. He'd been akumatized.

And as if she hadn't been shocked enough, when the Butterfly symbol vanished, he looked at her with those piercing green eyes and said, his voice soft-toned but cold, "Glad to see you, m'lady."

She stopped, trembling, and could do nothing more than gaze in fear at him for a few moments. Then, snapping back to Earth, she turned and ran.

 _He knows. How does he know?_

Jumping down a set of stairs into an underground Metro station, she opened her bag to let Tikki out, and before the kwami could say anything, swept the back of her hand over her left earring and shouted, "Tikki, Spots On!" But this time, there was no smile on her face as she transformed.

Skillfully flinging her yo-yo up the next flight of stairs, she swung outside again, then circled around through the air back in Cat's direction. He was still there, and when he saw her, he burst into a strong sprint straight towards her, then launched himself off the ground using his baton and swung it down for her as gravity claimed him again. She swiftly leapt up out of the way, then spun and threw her yo-yo once more, this time wrapping it multiple times around his wrist as well as his weapon.

She was no stranger to all this. She'd had to fight him several times before, when he'd been manipulated by Dark Cupid, Puppeteer, and Princess Fragrance. But those times were different. He'd been cured as soon as she'd used Miraculous Ladybug, except in the case of Dark Cupid. But even that power couldn't cure an akumatized victim.

Meanwhile, he'd yanked his hand backwards, and with his greater strength jerked her forwards and off balance. Then, swiftly freeing himself from her yo-yo's grip, he turned and took off down the streets, mostly using his staff to go faster. Ladybug retrieved the loose string back into her yo-yo, then raced after him, hastily pulling herself up through the air and to the nearest roof with her weapon. True, he was stronger than her, but she was quicker.

But a question was still ringing through her head as she pursued him: _Where was the akuma?_ Her first thought was his ring, but she quickly pushed the idea away. She couldn't break a miraculous. Maybe she could physically, but what would that do to her partner and his kwami? She didn't love him romantically, but she still cared about him, even if he was trying to kill her.

Next option: perhaps his baton? It would make at least some sense, since it was rather common for the akumatized object to be something the supervillain fought with. But there was only a 50% chance of that. He'd have to have been in superhero form when akumatized, but if he'd been in civilian form, he wouldn't have had his weapon with him.

And that left . . . what?

Snapping back to the present, all thoughts cleared from her head as he stopped on the bridge between the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadéro and whirled around to face her. She slowed to a walk, once again pulling the string back into the yo-yo. "Cat Noir," she started protesting, "stop it! It's me! What are you—" She cut herself off as he lunged at her again, this time hitting her. "I don't need your words!" he shouted as she slid to a smooth halt on the pavement. "I only need an answer."

"An answer to what?" she asked, momentarily confused. But his answer caught her off guard.

"Whose side are you on?"

That's what stopped her. She jumped, startled, then her eyes widened as she realized that she couldn't give him a reply, because she didn't have one to give. Whose side _was_ she on? All the time before, she'd fought against evil, but done it alongside _him._ There'd always been another villain. But now, the one she'd always fought alongside was the one she was supposed to be fighting against. He'd been akumatized. That meant . . .

She didn't know _what_ it meant.

That fight was ended with no winner and no loser. Back in the bakery, she would hide in her room, unable to do anything as TVs, radios, and broadcastings reported more attacks from who had used to be their superhero. Her superhero. Her partner. Her Kitty-Cat.

Once again, physically, she _could_ do something. She could figure out something to convince him that Hawk Moth was lying, or . . . take . . . him . . . down. Just like any other supervillain. But Cat Noir wasn't like all the others. He was her closest friend, and she didn't think she could bring herself to go fight him again. She'd had a similar experience when Alya, her civilian BFF, had been akumatized into Lady Wifi. But even that wasn't the same. Alya didn't have a miraculous.

Finally, she did transform. She was sick of fear and hiding. She had to end all of this. This wasn't who she was. She was confident. She was strong. She was Ladybug.

While she was out on the rooftops searching for him, though, another startling thing happened. Her yo-yo started ringing, alerting her that he was calling her. She quickly pulled it off her waist and pushed on the center, accepting the call, and when the top half slid down, he was on the screen. "Cat!" she gasped, grabbing the sides with both hands. She opened her mouth to continue, but he beat her to it.

"I'm waiting for you in our place," he told her coldly.

 _"Chat!"_ she yelled, "wait—" but he'd already hung up.

She was at their special meeting place in thirty seconds. Normally, they met here to discuss plans to take down their foes. But now . . . what would happen this time?

At first, it appeared to be empty. Everything was quiet, and nothing was moving.

But all that changed when suddenly he leapt down from a bar along the ceiling, yelling as he brought his staff down hard on the floor she'd been standing in just a moment before. Having jumped out of the way, she regained her balance and asked desperately, "Cat, why are you doing this?"

"All they ever gave me were lies!" he shouted in response. "No one gave me truth. Everyone deceived me and kept secrets from me. Including you!"

She stopped, speechless at his answer. But while she tried to think of something to reply, something in him changed. All his fury and aggression dissolved, his shoulders slumped, and he lowered his head. "But maybe that's what I deserved," he finished sadly, his tone the complete opposite of what it'd just been. He looked up at her again, her still trying to speak, and continued in a new voice, one she couldn't define, "You know what to do."

"What . . . ?" she at last managed, still shocked.

He smiled, but it wasn't real. She knew him well enough to know which of his smiles were which. But this one was different. It was more the ghost of a grin. "Break my ring."

Everything in her froze. The akuma _was_ in the ring?! That meant she _couldn't_ break it without . . . without . . . losing him . . . He was still talking, but she could barely hear him above the fear ringing through her head.

 _"And you'll never see Cat Noir . . ."_

"No!" she finally burst out, having found her voice again. "No, I . . . I can't do that! It would . . ." She trailed off, horror now being the emotion creeping through her. She stared at the floor, paralyzed, unknowing of what to do. At last, she brought her hands to her face and whispered in a broken voice, "I can't."

Then, she felt his hand on her shoulder, claws resting gently. "Come on," he urged, his voice soothing and comforting despite what he was telling her to do. She looked up into his brilliant green eyes as he added, "Me or the world?"

She flung her arms around him, burying her face in his chest and sobbing as she truly realized what she had to do. He embraced her, too, and she relished it, knowing that this was really the last time she would ever get to. She wanted so badly to choose him, to keep him with her as her faithful partner forever. But he was akumatized. She had to do her job. This was the end.

This . . . was . . . the . . . end.

The thought made her cry harder.

Finally, reluctantly, she slowly pulled away, and then told him three words she'd never thought she'd tell him, because of a certain other blond-haired, green-eyed boy. But this was Cat. The real person she'd truly gotten to know, not the distant boy she'd admired from afar.

"I love you."

The response was something she loved seeing: he smiled, and this time for real. His eyes were somehow shining, and he replied, "I love you, too."

But, as cruel reality would have it, the warmth and love she felt didn't last. She still had to do it. There was only a small positive in this moment: at least now he knew how she felt about him. He knew she loved him. Over the long time they'd known each other, he'd moved closer and closer into her heart, and now he was in for good. Even though this was the last time she would ever see him, at least he knew. At least he was happy. And she knew that no one would ever take his place, as partner, or as loved one. He was one of a kind.

And now, it was all coming to an end.

"I'll respect you this much," she said quietly, then took his hand and closed her eyes. Her arm was shaking, but, the tears still clouding her eyes, she took a hold of his ring and pulled it off his finger. His detransformation sounded in her ears as she stepped back, dropped the ring, and smashed it. Instantly, everything around her went completely silent.

There was no joy or enthusiasm in her as she captured the akuma and purified it. And there never would be again. Because he wasn't there with her anymore. She had no one to do "Pound it" with. And when she at long last opened her eyes and turned around, the cocky, loyal, annoying but endearing sweetheart of a cat she'd grown to love was gone.

 **THE END**


	2. Statues

The sky was dark with clouds as Marinette walked slowly through the deserted park, her posture slumped with sadness. For the hundredth time, the black cat was back on her mind, as he always would be, now and forever.

An inconsistant strong wind swept through the air as she quietly approached a pair of statues on a stone mount. In heroic postions, one in a crouch and the other leaping above, were the silent, inanimate versions of herself and Cat Noir, constructed by Théo Barbot so long ago. She stared sadly up at the smiling face of her partner, the boy she'd loved so much but could not have kept. She still loved him. She would never stop. No one was like him.

Her chest heavy with soundless misery, she took a hold of the top of the mount and pulled herself up until she was sitting right by his figure, then leaned back against it and sighed. The sound was quickly caught and lost in another sweep of wind.

"It's been so long," she said at last, her words directed to Cat Noir although he couldn't hear her. She leaned closer to it and kissed the statue's cheek, then put her hand over his and moved closer. "Where did you go?"

Of course, she received no answer. She'd done this so often, wishing desperately for him to come back, come back to her, and even dreaming that he really was. The worst part of those times was when she'd wake up and realize the miracle was fake. They made her cry. Which meant she'd been crying every single day since he'd been lost to her.

No supervillains had appeared since that day. She didn't know what had happened to Hawk Moth. She didn't care anymore.

She lay against it for a long, long time, as if the image of him really were him. The real deal, as he would've said. At that thought, all her favorite memories of him immediately came to mind. His jokes, his puns, his terrible comedic timing, and everything about him that she couldn't help but adore. Or maybe adorkable. He'd been a dork. Her dork. The positive thoughts briefly made her smile wistfully.

 _"I've missed you so much."_


	3. Creation

_Knock, knock, knock._

"You may enter," an elderly yet energetic voice announced from inside the closed door.

Marinette took a long breath, then drew herself up and pushed open the door. As soon as it clicked into place behind her, Tikki zoomed out of her little bag, and Wayzz flew out from behind Master Fu. He looked back and forth between the two holders nervously, but didn't say anything; she knew the turtle kwami was uneasy, since she technically wasn't supposed to be there, but she had to. She couldn't bear this pain anymore. She couldn't bear being alone anymore. And living in the world she did, there _had_ to be a way to bring him back.

"Master," she began hesitantly, sinking down to her knees on the floor in front of him, "you know what happened to—"

"Yes," he replied solemnly. "Wayzz sensed a strong disturbance in the Black Cat kwami and miraculous."

" 'Strong disturbance'?" she echoed, a little confused. "I had to break his ring. He's gone."

Master Fu tilted his head slightly. "Not gone," he answered slowly. "Breaking a miraculous does not necessarily destroy its kwami and holder."

Marinette felt her heart flip in sudden shock. "Wait, wait, wait . . ." she blurted out, "you mean that Cat Noir's . . ."

He smiled. ". . . not dead," he finished for her, and everything in her froze solid, paralyzed by excitment.

She could only sit speechlessly as he continued, "According to Wayzz, the holder detransformed completely before the miraculous was broken. Remember when I told you about before the miraculouses were created? The kwamis existed first, roaming the universe, unseen by humans and unable to come into contact with them. When a mage created the miraculouses, that all changed. So because the detransformation was complete before the ring was destroyed, the kwami is simply back to roaming the universe."

"But what about the holder?" she asked desperately. "What about Cat?"

"Also unharmed," the Master responded, and her shoulders sagged with relief. "He's simply frozen in time, and, like his kwami, cannot be found by people for now. The only way I know of to bring them back, since the ultimate power achieved by the Ladybug earrings and ring of the Black Cat can no longer be used for now, is by creating another Black Cat miraculous."

"Can you do that?!" she demanded, trembling with energy, but to her disappointment, he shook his head. "I am simply a guardian. Not a mage. I do, however," he added, raising her hopes again ever so slightly, "remember several of them from Tibet."

"Tibet?" She frowned. "That's so far away . . ."

"I grew up there," he explained. "That's where the Guardians' Temple used to be. And with your powers, you could get there in no time at all."

"But what would I say to my parents?" she protested. "I mean, I really want to go; I need him back, and not just . . ." She lowered her voice suddenly. ". . . not just to help me with supervillains anymore. But . . . I don't think my parents would believe a word I tell them. I'm terrible at excuses."

"Then maybe it's time you told them," Master Fu said in reply, his eyes glittering, and she jumped. _"Tell_ them?!" she yelped. "But Ladybug's identity has to remain secret! At all costs! Otherwise, word will spread and then Hawk Moth himself might even find out, and then he'd target them . . . and, and—" The Master interrupted her again.

"Hawk Moth was trying to take both yours _and_ Cat Noir's miraculouses. With only one, he wouldn't be able to do anything. Now that the Black Cat miraculous has been destroyed, there's no point for him to keep trying."

"But if another ring is going to be made . . ." she fretted nervously, "what would happen then?"

The Master frowned inquiringly. "Don't you trust your parents?"

"I . . ." She sighed. "I guess so . . ."

"Then go on." He smiled. "There's not a heartbeat to be wasted."


	4. Back

Just a day later, she was on her way. Her parents had given her a reaction she couldn't really understand; they'd obviously been shocked, and then . . . just started talking. A lot. Asking random questions, telling her to be careful . . . and then giving her a bunch of food for the trip. The upsides of living in a bakery.

Master Fu was right; her journey didn't take long: only about half a day. When she finally arrived in the snowy country, she found the nearest little town, which seemed deserted at first glance. As she entered, however, several natives emerged from the shops and their homes, staring at the red-suited superheroine in amazement. "That's Ladybug from France," she heard some whisper.

" _Bonjour_ —I mean, hello," she greeted them awkwardly, then snatched back her usual confidence and cleared her throat. "I'm looking for . . . a mage?"

Silence reigned at first. Then, several of them pointed to a smaller shop at the end of the road, which had a little Asian sign hanging from above the door and purplish curtains hanging on the inside.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed, bowing slightly as an accostumed action she was used to, being half-Chinese. Then, taking a deep breath to settle her wildy-flying nerves, she rushed for the shop and ducked inside.

An older man was sitting at a table across the cozy room, which was lit only by firelight. He glanced up from his reading at the door's opening, and blinked in surprise when he saw the girl standing there. Rising hastily, he clasped his palms together and bowed slightly in greeting. "Greetings, madame. May I be of assistance?"

"Yes, sir, thank you." She returned the subtle dip of her head, then stepped forward and looked urgently into his eyes. "You've heard of the miraculouses for the kwamis, right?"

A new look came into the mage's eyes at her words, something like amazement and recognition combined. "Yes," he replied quickly. "You have one. The miraculous and kwami of good luck."

"Yes." She smiled in relief. "I do. But . . . for the black cat . . ."

He straightened a little. "What about it?"

After a long pause, she drew in another long breath before explaining, "It's been destroyed. In result, according to a guardian I know, the kwami has been trapped in space again, and the holder is frozen in time. I was recommended to come here and request the creation of a new one to bring them back. I can't defend Paris on my own. Even though that's not the only reason . . ." The last line was in a much quieter tone, so he couldn't hear it.

". . . So you want me to create another miraculous for the kwami of misfortune and destruction," the mage said at last.

"Yes," she replied instantly. "He uses it for good with me; you've heard of my partner, Cat Noir? We're Parisians."

 _"That's_ why you look familiar." He grinned. "You're Ladybug. I've heard lots of reports about you, especially from something called . . ." He paused. "The LadyBlog?"

"Yeah." She laughed. "That'd be it. Anyway . . . you _can_ make one, right?"

"Of course," he answered, drowning her in relief for good at his reassurance. "It's just a bit of a process."

"How long will it take?"

"About a day or two." He frowned, thinking. "I have to summon the kwami first. Then create the miraculous. After that, the holder will reappear."

She liked how he said "will" instead of "should."

"That's fine, I can wait." In truth, she felt ready to burst out of her skin with impatience, dying to see him again. To talk with him again. To be with him again. "Would it be alright if I waited here, though? In your shop?"

"Of course. I have an extra room in the back. You can stay there, and I'll have my maid bring you meals and tend to your needs."

Maid?

"Th-thank you very much, sir." She stood up as he called a girl into the room, who was surprisingly around her age. The man rose and walked into a smaller, enclosed area as the young girl nodded politely to the guest, then took her gently by the arm and led her to a furnished room in the back of the shop. As she sat down on the sofa with a long sigh to help sink in what was really about to happen, the girl pointed out a bell on a small table and said quietly, "Ring this if you need anything."

"Thank you," she responded gratefully, and the girl, with a quick flash of surprise on her face, bowed slightly and left.

Smiling, Ladybug looked at the bell sitting on the table. It reminded her even more of her Kitty; he'd had a golden bell at his neck as part of his costume. In ways, it kind of showed that he wasn't quite the rough tough guy some Parisians thought he was. True, he was strong, a stunning fighter and fencer, and stubborn when he wanted to be, but being closer to him than anyone else, she'd seen his other sides, too. He had a softer, gentler side that he tended to show more often when they were alone, which she regretted taking for granted all the time before she'd realized the truth. But really, he was fun to be around, and, she remembered, had an uncanny desire to just be with people. She recalled now that almost all the times she'd been dealing with reporters and such, he'd been off at the sidelines, talking to the victims and giving them reassurance. She also remembered getting a warm fuzzy feeling when that victim was a child. Something about seeing him show his extra-friendly, playful side with young ones . . . it made her smile.

A soft knock at the doorpost startled her out of her thoughts. Glancing over, she realized that the servant girl was standing there, watching her intently. "Forgive me, miss," she said quickly, "but may I ask you some things?"

"Of course." She smiled widely and gestured for the young girl to come inside and sit with her. "What it it?"

"I . . ." She sat down, somewhat nervously, then asked, "Who is it you're trying to bring back?"

Her smile grew. "His name's Cat Noir. He was my fighting partner back in Paris. Something . . ." She took a reassuring breath at the unpleasant memories filling her head at her own words, then continued, "Something bad happened, and I thought I'd lost him. But I just recently discovered there's a way to bring him back. So your master is helping me with that."

Curiousity replaced the thin veil of fear in the girl's expression. "It's a boy . . . Is he your love?"

Ladybug's grin returned. "Yes, he is. I . . . I didn't realize it at first, since there was . . . Well, it's hard to explain, but yes. He was actually in love with me for a long time, but I didn't really think much of it. I didn't think he was serious when he was. But I know that now." In ways, this almost felt like she was talking to Alya, considering the subject, even though it was actually a foreign girl.

The girl tilted her head slightly. "That's interesting," she said at last. "Will I be able to meet him?"

"Yes," she replied, the thought increasing her excitment even more.

"Thank you very much, miss." The maid stood up quickly. "I must return to my duties now. Thank you for talking to me. I don't usually get to talk to anyone."

"Then consider Cat Noir and I your new friends," she answered warmly, and once again, her own words surprised her in a good way. She was referring to Cat in normal terms again. Talking about him like he was still there with her.

 _He will be. In just a day or two._

And even though that time seemed to take longer than it was, it did eventually end. When the mage entered her room and announced, "It's ready," she almost jumped a mile high in anticipation. It wasn't until she stood up, however, that she realized she was about to discover his identity. He'd detransformed before she'd smashed the ring. Which meant that when he'd been frozen in time, it was as his civilian form. So that was how she'd see him. And for the first time, she wondered if she actually knew him already in normal life. It would certainly be an interesting experience if it turned out he was. So when she walked quickly into the little enclosed area, ready to see her Kitty again for the first time in three months, for the first time without his mask, she got an unexpected, extremely pleasant surprise.


	5. Power of Love

Adrien Agreste.

The boy waiting inside for her, sitting on a table with a confused expression, hand on his neck, was Adrien. Her huge crush for who-knew-how-long. Before she'd realized that even though she had a high opinion of him and greatly respected his kindness and seeming perfection, Cat Noir was her _true_ love. The one who, apparently as a superhero, had taught her to truly love someone, flaws and all.

It was Adrien.

Adrien Agreste.

A, D, R, I . . .

She was standing there dumbfounded, her jaw hanging open, staring blankly at him. She didn't know how long she had, but millions of questions were spinning through her head, almost making her dizzy. How were they the same person? Adrien wasn't flirty, or cocky, or nearly the same as Cat, but somehow, he was . . .

When she finally came back down to earth, she realized he'd seen her and was smiling widely. The sight of it made her insides flop, a feeling she'd grown used to. He raised a hand and said softly, "Hi, m'lady."

"Adrien . . . ?" she choked out, her eyes impossibly wide, and finally composed herself, trying to remind herelf how to breath. "How on earth . . . It's you?"

His smile grew slightly concerned, unless that was actually a hint of worry. "That's okay, right . . . ?"

"Of course it is!" her uncontrolled response burst out. "This is actually absolutely perfect because I may or may not have had an enormous crush on you for the last school year and a half and I thought you actually knew that so I was getting really scared but then you got akumatized and scared me even more but then I thought you died but then just found out you didn't and then now that I've realized I actually love Cat afterward and then there's this happening and so it won't feel awkward anymore because it turns out that this amazing boy under the mask is someone that I've maybe devoted my entire life to in two different ways!" She finally broke off panting, and slapped her hand over her mouth, clueless on where _that_ had come from.

Oh, no . . . would he change his mind about her once he found out her identity?!

But then, he already knew . . . and still accepted her as her. No one else.

So he actually did love this clumsy, awkward, dorky baker girl who forgot how to talk on a normal basis? That was, after all, what he'd seen of Marinette. Or maybe he'd seen something else in her that she didn't.

Back in the present, he was laughing quietly in amusement. She felt like shrinking down into a tiny corner at first, before realizing his laughter was friendly. Of _course_ it was. This was Adrien she was thinking about. This was Cat Noir she was thinking about. He would never laugh at someone; he only laughed _with_ them.

"That explains some things," he said at last, his voice showing his happiness even more. "In some really good ways."

That was about when she lost control of herself. All those miserable days of solitude and sadness had been too much to bear, and now that she finally had him back, why was she just standing there babbling like a machine? With a little laugh, she flung herself into his arms, so forcefully that she knocked him off the table. Half as part of their embrace, and half to protect her, he wrapped his arms around her as they crashed to the floor, which was fortunately carpeted. "Sorry," she said quickly, helping him to his feet, then hugging him again, this time less forcefully. He returned it, his embrace wrapping her in a contentment that she couldn't put into words. To be back in his arms, sheltered under his tender care and love . . . was an unbelievably incredible sense. And when he spoke again, his gentle tone and words made her want to just die right then and there.

"Have I ever told you that I love you?"

She pulled back a little and gazed up into his warm emerald gaze, smiling so broadly her cheeks hurt. "All the time you were with me. Every day. And now it's my turn." She kissed him on the cheek and whispered in his ear, "I love you."


End file.
